Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.p.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP

Hewlett-Packard Company

Other

International Business Machines Corporation

Seagate Technology Incorporated

Quantum Corporation

Carl R Hoerger

Jeffrey S McAllister

Thomas W Von Alten

Thomas R Albrecht

Curtis C Ballard

James Howard Eaton

James Clifford Anderson

Robert Ralph Heinze

John Anthony Hamming

Stephen V Deckers

Geoffrey W Mansbridge

Martin Dyer

Geoffrey Stiles

Malcolm Grimwood

Turguy Goker

Paul W Poorman

Vernon L Knowles

Ming-Chih Weng

Martin Haupt

Mike Alan Holmberg

Darin D Lindig

John D Hampton

Catherine Dinhobl

Philip John Turner

Jeff McAllister

Geoffrey W D Spratt

Geoffrey Spratt

Matt Barsotti

Josef Summer

A method comprising: determining, by a tape library, respective tape densities supported by each of a plurality of tape drives and respective tape densities indicated for each of a plurality of tape cartridges; receiving, by the tape library, a command to load a given one of the tape cartridges into a given one of the tape drives; determining, by the tape library, that the indicated tape density for the given tape cartridge matches a tape density supported by the given tape drive; and in response to the determination that the tape densities match, configuring, by the tape library, the given tape drive to initialize the given tape cartridge to the tape density indicated for the given tape cartridge.

Tape drive configuration

An example tape drive includes a magnetic tape head, an actuator, and a controller. The magnetic tape head includes a data write element to write a data track including data onto magnetic tape. The data track includes a non-trimming portion and a trimmable portion. The magnetic tape head also includes a data read element to read the data written to the non-trimming portion of the data track to verify the accuracy of the data. The controller positions the magnetic tape head via the actuator to allow (i) the data write element to write the first data track, and (ii) the data read element to read the second portion of the first data track. From the read data, a determination may be made as to whether the data was written to the non-trimming portion of the data track with a threshold level of accuracy.

Read from a non-trimming portion of a data track written to magnetic tape

Examples described herein include a tape drive with a drive memory, an opening, and a key engine. The drive memory is to store a shared secret. The opening is to receive a tape cartridge that stores a protected dataset and an authorization code. The key engine is to generate a decryption key for the protected dataset based on the authorization code and the shared secret.

Protected datasets on tape cartridges

An example tape storage drive may include reading/writing circuitry and control circuitry. The reading/writing circuitry may be to read from and write to tape media of tape cartridges. The processing circuitry may be to, in response to a tape cartridge being loaded into the tape storage drive, validate initialization of the tape cartridge. The processing circuitry may be to, in validating initialization of the tape cartridge, determine whether a tape format portion of a cartridge memory of the tape cartridge contains tape format data and whether the tape format portion is write-locked. If the tape format portion contains tape format data and is not write-locked, then the processing circuitry may fully initialize the tape cartridge including selecting a tape format for the tape cartridge and updating the tape format data to specify the selected tape format, write-lock the tape format portion, and then deem initialization of the tape cartridge to be complete.

Tape cartridge partial initialization

To locate an access head element of a head assembly for a tape storage device, a storage tape having a data track that contains servo information is provided. The data track further contains data. The servo information that is in the data track is used to determine a position of the access head element.

Locating a head element of a tape storage device using servo information in a data track

Tape heads are described herein including (i) a first module including a read transducer array with at least one transducer element to read data from a tape, and (ii) a second module including a read transducer array with at least one transducer element to read data from the tape. In examples herein, a lifting member is provided to cause tape lifting the module at a leading position with respect to tape travel direction.

Operation of tape drives

Certain embodiments of the present invention are directed to magnetic-tape drives that employ data-set-multiplexing magnetic-tape formats in order to achieve compatibility in magnetic-tape formats with respect to a variety of different magnetic-tape-drive tape-head configurations and dimensions. While previous and current magnetic-tape drives employ magnetic-tape formats that feature linear sequences of data sets along the tracks that are read or written during a single pass, or wrap, magnetic-tape drives of the present invention feature magnetic tape that contains data formatted according to a data-set-multiplexing magnetic-tape format, the data-set-multiplexing magnetic-tape format including, for each multiple-track wrap within a band, two or more parallel sequences of data sets written to the multiple tracks of the multiple-track wrap.

Method and system for providing tape-format compatibility between various types of tape heads

A tape storage device includes a head assembly having plural access head elements to access data on respective data tracks on a storage tape. A controller, responsive to information contained in at least one of the data tracks, is provided to individually adjust a lateral position of at least one of the access head elements independently of at least one other head element.

Individually adjusting a position of an access head element on a head assembly

In a method of electronically measuring reader/writer offset in a tape drive head, a plurality of sequentially adjacent data tracks are written on a tape with a write head. Error rate information is measured while reading a data track of the plurality of sequentially adjacent data tracks with a read head of the tape drive. A bathtub shaped curve is built from a set of the error rate information which is accumulated by reading the data track at a plurality of offsets of the read head relative to the data track. Offset of the read head relative to the write head is measured by determining an offset of the read head which correlates to a magnetic center of the data track as represented by a center point between edges of the bathtub shaped curve.

Measuring reader/writer offset in a tape drive head

To access data on a storage medium, at least three servo stripes simultaneously recorded in a servo track are read. The at least three servo stripes have different orientations on the servo track. An indication of a lateral position of a storage medium access head with respect to the servo track is generated based on reading the at least three servo stripes.

Recording servo stripes onto a servo track

A mounting apparatus for enabling the mounting of a computer peripheral device to a peripheral device bay of a computer system comprises a mounting rail adapted to slideably engage a profile in the peripheral device bay. The mounting apparatus further includes an adhesive element adapted to attach the mounting rail to a side surface of the computer peripheral device.

Mounting a computer peripheral device using a mounting rail

A method and system of a head for use with a storage media having a first set of read transducers positioned to compensate for shrinkage of the storage media, and a second set of read transducers positioned to compensate for expansion of the storage media.

Method and system of a head for a storage media

A mounting apparatus includes a mounting rail that is attachable to a side surface of a peripheral device. The peripheral device side surface has a first key profile engageable with a second key profile of the mounting rail so that the mounting rail can be attached to the peripheral device. Alternatively, the mounting rail is attached to the side surface of the peripheral device by use of an adhesive member.

Mounting peripheral devices using a mounting mechanism

Embodiments of an electrical/electronic unit display system are described, which embodiments feature a dual-use for the port area of an electronic unit's exterior surface. Whereas a port area is normally used only for insertion of a cartridge or other data-storage container to cooperate with a data-retrieval drive, such as a reader or recorder, the invented system adapts the port area to also be used for display of information regarding the electronic unit and/or the cartridge itself. An exterior or otherwise-visible surface of the cartridge may be used for display, when the cartridge is in the port, the visible surface being readily observed by the equipment operator. Alternatively, the exterior or other visible surface of the port door may be used for display. The displays may be active, as in instrument faces built into the door and/or the cassette/cartridge. Or, the displays may be passive, as in a screen provided on the door and/or cassette/cartridge that reflects or transmits an image generated remotely by a prism or other transmitter. This way, the space required by the cassette, port or door may be effectively utilized also as a display, permitting the unit's 'faceprint' to be minimized.

Growing community of inventors

Boise, ID, United States of America

Carl R Hoerger